Ten people have been hospitalized, nine with life-threatening injuries, following a mass stabbing that caused fear and chaos aboard a London-bound train in eastern England, British police said Sunday. Two suspects are in custody as investigators work to determine the motive.
Passengers fled the long-distance train after it made an emergency stop in the market town of Huntingdon, where dozens of armed officers were waiting in response to reports of multiple stabbings onboard.
Police confirmed that two people were arrested at the station. Their identities and possible motives have not been released, though counterterrorism officers are assisting with the investigation.
“Ten people have been taken to hospital with nine believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries,” British Transport Police said in a statement early Sunday.
“This has been declared a major incident and Counter Terrorism Policing are supporting our investigation whilst we work to establish the full circumstances and motivation for this incident.”
Authorities said the “Plato” emergency protocol — a national alert term used by police and emergency services when responding to a possible “marauding terror attack” — was activated during the response. It was later rescinded, though no motive has yet been identified.
“We’re conducting urgent enquiries to establish what has happened, and it could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything further,” said Chief Superintendent Chris Casey.
“At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
The attack unfolded as the train traveled from Doncaster in northern England to London’s King’s Cross station, roughly halfway through its two-hour journey. The train was approaching Huntingdon, located a few miles northwest of Cambridge, when the violence erupted.
Passenger Olly Foster told the BBC that he heard people shouting, “run, run, there’s a guy literally stabbing everyone,” and initially thought it was a Halloween prank. As others rushed past him to escape, he realized his hand was covered in blood from a chair he had leaned on.
Emergency services, including air ambulances and armed units, responded swiftly as the train arrived in Huntingdon. The situation appeared contained shortly afterward, with officers in forensic suits and a police dog seen searching the platform.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary said it received calls at 7:39pm on Saturday, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of London.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his “thoughts are with all those affected” by what he called an “appalling incident.”
Paul Bristow, the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said he had heard of “horrendous scenes” aboard the train.
London North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operates the East Coast Mainline services, confirmed that the incident occurred on one of its trains and warned passengers of major disruption on the route until Monday.
